Suffolk families who feel 'failed' by SEND system protest outside council offices

A protest by families who believe they have been “failed” by Suffolk’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system took place outside the county council’s offices.

The action was hosted outside Ipswich’s Endeavour House by protest group Failed By Suffolk, a group of parents of children with SEND that began during the pandemic.

Toni Wasag, one of the protest organisers, said: “My 13-year-old daughter came to the protest with me. She has been struggling with school for the last four years and has been ignored.

“Now, she’s not able to attend school. They’re listening now, but it’s too late.

“I’ve also got an 11-year-old who has had an EHCP for years but it has been ignored, so now he needs to go to a specialist school because none of the mainstream schools can meet his needs.

“We know national change needs to happen for things to change in Suffolk, and that the county council doesn’t have control over everything.

“None of the local authorities in this country have any ability to hold mainstream schools to account because they’re now mostly academies.

“We just need the council to hear they’re not getting it right and they’re still failing in the basic things they have got control over – like answering emails, answering phone calls and sticking to timescales.

“Responding to parents when they’re desperate and not just ignoring them would be great.

“Suffolk County Council needs to be held to account, schools needs to be held to account and funding needs to improve – maybe then schools will be more inclined to meet the needs of children.

Protesters at Endeavour House yesterday handed a letter recounting the experiences of a mother of two children with SEND, who had seven LGSCO complaints upheld and claimed she has PTSD as a result of the difficulties she faced in Suffolk’s SEND system.

They also handed 60 impact statements recounting other families’ experiences to Ros Somerville, assistant director of inclusion and leader of the SEND Strategy at the council, and Cllr Elaine Bryce, education and children’s services scrutiny committee chair. They both promised to read and share the accounts.

Emma Eveleigh, a protester with three children, two of whom are autistic, said: “I have been in the SEND system for four years and it has been a constant fight.

“I have attended six tribunals and had four complaints to the local government and social care ombudsman (LGSCO) upheld. I have another LGSCO complaint in at the moment.

“I went to the protest because this shouldn’t be happening. I think most of the services supporting children with SEND in Suffolk are not as good as they should be.

“The council keeps saying they’re getting more applications for Education Health and Care needs assessments.

“They’re getting those because many schools aren’t putting the support in place. So, unless they start at the root – making sure schools are inclusive and properly supporting children with SEND – the problem’s going to continue.

“Building new SEND provision is obviously a good thing, but the council can’t keep building specialist provision forever just because mainstream schools aren’t meeting children’s needs.

“And a lot of the new provision is focused on those who legally need to be in education. What about the over 16’s who want to continue with education?”

“I don’t feel hopeful after the protest. When you start in the SEND system, you think things will improve for your children once they get an EHCP.

“They don’t improve, then you see all the problems faced by the families entering the system after you.”

EHCPs are legally binding documents that lay out the support a child with SEND needs and is entitled to.

An Education, Health and Care needs assessments is the first step in getting an EHCP.

A review into the system by the government’s Care Quality Commission (CQC) last July was reported on last week. It found the pace of reform in Suffolk “reassuring” and noted “the leadership’s commitment to improvement in a wide range of areas”.

Investment in mental health services and language therapy were described positively. The CQC said they would like to see a progress report on plans to improve timescales of EHCPs and the outcomes of funding for speech and language and occupational therapy services during their next review.

The council has agreed the delivery of 1,317 new specialist places either in new schools or units linked to mainstream schools by 2026, and 826 of these new places are now open across Suffolk.

Cllr Caroline Topping, speaker for education and child protection for the council’s Green, Liberal Democrat and Independent (GLI) opposition group, said: “I spoke to some young people and parents about the individual issues they have been experiencing accessing the school provision they need.

“Every one of them deserves to access the best education to enable them to attain the best possible outcomes for their education and career – as does every young person.

“We only get one chance at a decent education. I have taken some notes of issues that some of the young people and parents told me today, including some good experiences, and I will be following them up.”

Other councillors who attended the protest included: Rachel Hood, cabinet member for education, SEND and skills; Cllr James Reeder, cabinet member for children and young people; Cllr Sandy Martin, deputy leader of the Labour Group, and Cllr Andrew Stringer, leader of the GLI group.

More information about the Failed By Suffolk can be found on their Facebook page, Failed By Suffolk, and on twitter: @FailedBySuffolk.